FAA Issues First National Waiver For Beyond-Visual-Line-Of-Sight Drone Operations

State Farm just announced that it has received "the first national waiver to any company in the U.S. by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)" for the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and over people. The waiver grants relief of certain FAA rules through 2022.

Through nearly two years of drone-safety case research with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Tech, and numerous test flights with a fixed-wing drone, State Farm built its safety case documentation. State Farm previously received temporary FAA waivers to conduct BVLOS damage-assessment operations over people in areas affected by hurricanes Florence and Michael. State Farm credits that "real-world experience and insights" for bolstering its national waiver request.